ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF CHINESE ELECTRIC VEHICLES IMPORTS INTO THE EU ON THE EUROPEAN CAR INDUSTRY 2013-2023

The thesis focuses on the analysis of the impact of Chinese electric vehicle imports into the European Union between 2013 and 2023. In recent years, there has been an increase in imports of Chinese vehicles, mostly electric vehicles, whose production is subsidised by the Chinese government, into European Union markets. In the theoretical part of the thesis, the basic concepts related to the subject and the theories related to the content of this thesis are rebuilt. The practical part is devoted to the analysis of car sales in the European Union between 2013 and 2023, the analysis of trade relations between China and the European Union, as well as the impact of the car industry on the gross domestic product. Part of the aim of the thesis is to test the hypothesis as follows: ,,The importation of Chinese electric cars into the EU will negatively affect the sales and profitability of European car companies in the short term, but in the long term it will help them to increase their efficiency, which will result in better and more affordable cars, greater profitability and return customers". This hypothesis is refuted in the thesis, as the selected car manufacturers do not experience a major decline in profitability over the period under consideration. The decline in profits in certain years is due to external factors, such as the global pandemic COVID-19 or the Dieselgate affair.